Plug the leak

BEING PROACTIVE was the recurring theme during last week’s Arkansas River Basin Water Forum at Otero Junior College in La Junta.

Those in attendance could all agree that water is critical to the Lower Arkansas Valley and must be protected from outside threats.

“We’re continuing to go down a road the valley should be concerned about,” Beulah rancher Reeves Brown said, talking about past raids on valley agricultural water by large cities to the north.

An upcoming study apparently will reveal that agriculture is a $695 million business in the Arkansas River basin. The ag industry employs more than 4,600 people in the region and generates $317 million in spinoff benefits throughout the local economy. Also, the valley’s recreational industry (fishing, rafting and boating) generates about $220 million in revenues because agricultural water happens to flow down the Arkansas River to farmers and ranchers.

Interestingly, diversion of water resources to feed the growing thirst of cities could slowly devastate Southeastern Colorado’s economy if action isn’t taken soon. Estimates suggest that for every 1 percent of water removed from the valley, approximately $10 million is removed from the ag economy.

As we’ve seen for years, talk is cheap when it comes to protecting Arkansas River basin water. Most area producers, water officials and political leaders are united in their belief that water for agricultural production should be a priority. But effective solutions for hanging onto water have proven illusive.

The threat to agricultural water is real, as communities such as Colorado Springs and Denver continue to grow and the price such cities are willing to pay for water rights rises.

How do we stop the loss of Arkansas River water to Aurora and other Denver suburbs? Laws restricting the further transfer of water outside of a basin of origin is an important first step.

Conservation easements, which compensate farmers and ranchers who agree to tie water rights to the land, are another tool that can help ensure agriculture’s future in these parts. Improved on-farm water conservation efforts can be helpful as well.

Whatever approach we collectively decide upon, concrete and immediate steps are required to protect our water from future raids. It’s time to stop talking and instead be proactive and take action.

The editorials appearing on the editorial page are the opinions of The Pueblo Chieftain as decided by the newspaper's editorial board. Members of the board are Robert H. Rawlings, publisher and editor; Jane Rawlings, assistant publisher; Jeff Holmquist, editorial page editor; and Tom McAvoy, editorial research director.